UK Singer Susan Boyle to Perform at Joel Osteen's Lakewood Church
'Britain's Got Talent' Star Kicks Off US Tour at Houston, Texas Megachurch
Susan Boyle, the U.K. singer who in 2009 wowed judges on "Britain's Got Talent" and eventually the world with her powerful rendition of "I Dreamed a Dream," is set to put on her biggest U.S. performance yet with a show next month at Joel Osteen's Lakewood Church in Houston, Texas.
"Victoria and I, like all of America, fell in love with Susan Boyle the first time we saw her," Pastor Osteen said, according to Broadwayworld.com. "We are delighted and honored that she chose Lakewood Church for her first solo performance in this country."
Boyle, who will be singing tracks from her new holiday-themed album, Home for Christmas, said she was looking forward to performing at Lakewood Church.
"I am really looking forward to attending and performing at Lakewood. This will be the largest audience I have ever performed to in the USA and I am very excited," she said.
An announcement on Boyle's official website reveals that the Scottish songstress will be singing for a "20,000-strong audience" at the Houston megachurch on Sunday, Nov. 17, 2013. Broadwayworld.com reports that Boyle will perform twice that Sunday morning, singing at the 8:30 and 11:30 services local time (CST). The set will be livestreamed via Joelosteen.com and rebroadcast three weeks later on Daystar Television.
One of the singles Boyle will perform is her newly-released cover of the Christmas classic "O Come, All Ye Faithful," as a duet with the late Elvis Presley. Boyle, an ambassador for the charity Save The Children, has said proceeds from sales of the holiday single will benefit the U.K. organization.
Lakewood Church, originally founded in 1959 by John Osteen and wife Dolores Osteen, has been under the leadership of Pastor Joel Osteen since 1999 and is today the nation's largest church, averaging about 43,500 weekly worshippers.
Lakewood is reportedly Boyle's first stop on her U.S. tour, a promotional effort for Home for Christmas, her fifth studio album. The 52-year-old former church worker will also be making her film debut in "The Christmas Candle" motion picture, based on author Max Lucado's book of the same name. A biopic on Boyle's life was reportedly also in the works.
It was her rendition of the Les Misérables track "I Dreamed a Dream" on "Britain's Got Talent" four years ago that catapulted Boyle onto the world stage. That same year, in November, Boyle released her debut album, titled I Dreamed a Dream, which topped charts all over the world.
Watch the video below of the performance that made Boyle a household name and earned her fans all over the world. Boyle actually finished second in "Britain's Got Talent," placing after dance troupe Diversity.
See if you can spot Boyle in the movie trailer for "The Christmas Candle," which will be in theaters Nov. 22.